Apparatus for igniting and operating gaseous discharge devices



y 11963 A. E. FEINBERG 3,099,773

APPARATUS FOR IGNITING AND OPERATING v GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICESOriginal Filed Feb. 26, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 r. I A

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INVENTOR. Albert EYE/Wkly Ally y 1963 A. E. FEINBERG 3,099,773

APPARATUS FOR IGNITING AND OPERATING GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICES OriginalFiled Feb. 26, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

A lberz E f'elhberg Alt'y United States Patent 3,099,773 APPARATUS FORIGNI'HNG AND OPERATING GASEOUS DKSCHARGE DEVICES Albert E. Feinherg,Chicago, Ill., assignor to Advance Transformer Co., (Ihicago, Ill., acorporation of Illinois Original application Feb. 26, 1953, Ser. No.339,103, now

Patent No. 2,883,581, dated Apr. 21, 1959. Divided and this applicationSept. 18, 1957, Ser. No. 634,739

9 Claims. (Cl. 315-257) This application is a divisional application ofmy application Serial No. 339,103, filed February 26, 1953, having thesame title as this application, now Patent No. 2,883,581; and acontinuation-impart of my application Serial No. 168,219, filed June 15,1950, issued as Patent No. 2,791,726 and entitled Apparatus for Startingand Operating Gaseous Discharge Devices.

This invention relates generally to transformer-s of the type known asballasts for the purpose of igniting and operating gaseous dischargedevices. Such apparatus provides the high igniting voltage required forgaseous discharge devices and also develops reactance to prevent suchdevices from destroying themselves after ignition because of theirnegative resistance characteristics.

Safety requirements established by protective organizations, such as thenon-profit Underwriters Laboratories in the United States, dictate thatremoval of high voltage fluorescent lamps from their ballast circuitsopen the line whereby there will be no high open circuit voltages eX-isting in the apparatus, notwithstanding the apparatus is stillconnected to a live line.

This invention is primarily concerned with a circuit for igniting andoperating a single gaseous discharge device, such as an instant-startfluorescent lamp from a relatively high voltage source, and stillmeeting the requirements that the removal of the lamp from the circuitwill open the line.

In many parts of the United States, especially in places where largeamounts of electrical power are used in industry, the voltage availablefor use in illumination is obtained through Y connections at 277 volts.Ordinary power lines have the vfamiliar 110 or 220 volts withvariations. The principal problem which this invention solves is theprovision of an economical and feasible ballast for the ignition andoperation of a single gaseous discharge device of low rating, such as,for example, a 40 watt T-l2 fluorescent lamp from higher than usualvoltage, such as the 277 volt A.C. line hereinabove referred to, whichwill also comply with the safety requirements set forth above.

The standard T12 fluorescent lamp of 40 watt rating is designed tooperate at a voltage of about 207 volts (with a current how of about.435 ampere. The igniting voltage of such a lamp is about 450' volts,although higher voltages can be used. The current in the lamp, however,cannot be increased to greater than the rated value because the life -ofthe lamp will be materially decreased due to injury to the dischargeterminals.

The above discussion sets forth the principal object of the invention,and in addition other objects are to provide apparatus of the characterdescribed which will be physically almost identical to the apparatuswhich is used to operate the device from a line of lower and usualvoltage, for example, 110 volts A0.

A further object of the invention is to provide apparatus of thecharacter described in which there is a high voltage primary connectedacross the full high voltage line, but only a portion of the primary isused to provide voltage in the initiation of the ignition of. thegaseous discharge device. In connection with the immediately aboveobject, one object of the invention is to 3,099,773 Patented July 30,1963 provide apparatus of the character described in which the primaryis open in its center and two leads extend therefrom to the two contactsof a line opening socket, a gaseous discharge device having one terminalin that socket utilizing only a part of the primary for supplyingignition and operation voltage thereto.

In my Patent No. 2,791,726 of which this application :rorms acontinuation-impart, I described and claimed novel apparatus for thepurpose of igniting and operating a single gaseous discharge devicealso, the basic circuit of said patent, insofar as operation andconstruction are concerned, is used in this invention. I have, however,adapted such construction to the use and purposes enumerated in theobjects hereinabove. The said Patent 2,791,726 evolved out of anapplication which was copending and a continuation-impart of anotherapplication Serial No. 135,669 filed December 29, 1949, now Patent No.2,558,293, the basic principles of operation of which are the same as,or similar to the principles of operation of said Patent 2,791,726. Themagnetic strulcture of both patented inventions is substantiallyidentica Through the invention herein, I am enabled to assemble theballast to be operated from; the higher voltage line upon the identicalmagnetic structure described in my prior patents, and which are designedto operate on a line of conventional low voltage. The only variationsnecessary over the structure of said Patent 2,791,726 are variations inthe winding of the primary winding, .all of the other windings and thephysical characteristics being practically identical. I am thereforeenabled to effect considerable savings through the use of standard lowline voltage cores and windings in the construction of the higher linevoltage ballasts.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds in connection with which a .pretferred embodiment has beendescribed in some detail in compliance with the statutes and forpointing out the advance I have made in the arts and sciences.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the invention as embodied inapparatus for igniting and operating a single gaseous discharge devicefrom a line whose voltage is considerably higher than that with whichthe gaseous discharge device is normally intended to be used.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the formation of the entire ballastof FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing the invention embodied in apparatusfor igniting and operating two gaseous discharge devices.

Considering the circuit of the invention as shown in FIG. 1, the same ischaracterized by the provision of three windings, the primary P 4 theauxiliary starting secondary S and the second secondary S The primarywinding P P is connected across the line, the secondary windings areconnected in reverse voltage relationship one relative the other, andafter ignition of the lamp L, the flow of current substantiallyby-passes the winding S The reason for this is that the winding S is avery high leakage reactance winding and opposes flow of currenttherethrough. Note that on the core 10 of FIG. 2 the windings S isseparated from the remainder of the transformer 11 by the shunt 12.

In my Patent 2,791,726 above referred to, a'circuit somewhat like thatof FIG. 1 is shown, and in that circuit a voltage is developed in Shaving a quadrature component additive to the voltages of the secondarywinding S and the primary winding P which is suflicient to ignite thedischarge device connected across all three windings. Note that in thatcase the instantaneous open circuit voltage sense of the winding S andthe primary P was additive.

In FIG. 1 herein the principal difference lies in the fact that theprimary, namely P P is not totally included in the circuit for ignitingand operating the lamp L. The total winding P P is connected across thehigh voltage line, which may be 277 volts A.C. where the lamp L has a 40watt rating. Only the right half P of the winding is used to provideigniting voltage. It is to be remembered, however, that the voltagesdeveloped in windings S and S will still have a relationship with theprimary based upon the turn ratios considering P and P together but inoperation the current in lamp L will be a rated value with the windingsS and S formed the same as for the lower voltage circuit. P must bechosen to have sufficient turns to provide only rated voltage for thelamp L considering the operating circuit. From the description, this iscapable of being worked out by one skilled in this art.

The above described circuit is possible, without scrapping the safetyrequirements relative to lamp removal opening lines by opening theprimary winding and bringing two leads out to a line-opening socket.Thus, in FIG. 1, I have shown leads 14 and 15 connected respectively tothe adjacent ends of the primary P and P and to the contacts 16 and 17of the socket 18. The contact 19 whicl closes the circuit between theleads l4 and 15 when the lamp L is inserted into the socket may be theexternal terminal of the lamp.

In fabricating theballast, I prefer to form the windings, then placingthem on the winding leg 22 and forcing the assembly into the shell core23. Winding of the windings S and S is done in the conventional manner,and as a matter of fact, I utilize the identical windings for the 277volt A.C. line as in the case the apparatus is to be used on 110 voltA.C. lines. As for the primary winding, during the formation thereof, along loop of wire is brought out in the process of winding the coil, andthe two resulting ends are parted so that the primary winding has fourleads extending therefrom. These are shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 anddesignated 14, 15, 24 and 25.

The transformer 11 is placed in a canister fragment-arily shown bybroken lines 26 together with the condenser C and leads connectedtogether and brought out as may be required. The entire structure ispotted as customary. The two leads 27 and 28 of S are connected to therespective terminals of the condenser C and respectively to lead 29 ofthe winding S and lead of the primary winding P Leads 25, 28 and aconnection to one condenser terminal become a single lead 33 whichextends to one side of the line. The lead 24 from the primary winding Pextends to the other side of the line.

The second lead of the winding S extends to the lamp L which is externalof the ballast canister 26. The leads 14 and 15 of the primary P and Prespectively eX- tend to the opposite contacts 16 and 17 respectively ofthe line opening socket 18.

FIG. 3 illustrates a circuit applying the invention to the ignition andoperation of two gaseous discharge lamps L and L This circuit is similarin operation to one described in my Patent No. 2,558,293. The voltagesense of S and P P is additive at open circuit. The first lamp to lightis L which is across P and S and is in series with condenser C. Thesecond lamp L lights as a result of the voltage reversal, that is tosay, the production of an out of phase component in S sufiicient to addto the voltage of S for ignition. Here, as in FIG. 1 there is a divisionof the primary winding into two parts P and P the two resulting leadsbeing connected to a line-opening socket 18. The lamp L is connectedinto a line-opening socket 20'. The total primary P P is intended to beconnected across a relatively high voltage line, such as furnished by a277 volt A.C. lighting circuit obtained from an industrial Y connection.Hence only the part P is used to provide igniting voltage.

Examples of the invention herein are readily obtained by modification ofexamples described in the above referred to patents and in theapplication of which this comprises a divisional application.

It is believed that this invention, its mode of construction andassembly, and many of its additional advantages should be readilyunderstood from the foregoing without further description, and it shouldalso be manifest that While a preferred embodiment of the invention hasbeen shown and described for illustrative purposes, the specific detailsare nevertheless capable of wide variation within the purview of thisinvention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for igniting and operating a gaseous discharge device froman A.C. source of relatively high voltage which comprises, an iron coretransformer including a primary winding having two end terminalsconnected across the source, at least one secondary winding makingconnection with one end terminal of the said primary winding, a gaseousdischarge device having end terminals and connected to the transformerfor energization of the device, the primary having a tap dividing thesame into two electrically spaced apart parts, said tap comprising twoelectrically separated leads connected, respectively, to said last namedparts and a shunting socket for said leads adapted to be bridged by anend terminal of said discharge device, and the gaseous discharge devicehaving one terminal connected at the tap and a second terminal connectedto a terminal of a secondary winding, the said secondary winding havingtransformer relationship with the entire primary insofar as voltagedeveloped therein is concerned, but the gaseous discharge device beingsubjected to voltages determined only by the voltage of the saidsecondary winding and that developed in that part of the primary windingbetween the tap and said one end terminal.

'2. Apparatus for igniting and operating a gaseous discharge device froman A.C. source of relatively high voltage which comprises, a threewinding auto-transformer comprising a primary having two end terminalsconnected across the source, a first secondary having an end terminalconnected to one end terminal of the primary, and a second secondaryhaving an end terminal connected to the second end terminal of the firstsecondary whereby the three windings are connected end to end in theorder named, the windings being mounted on an iron core with thefirstsecondary separated from the other windings to establish very highleakage reactance therein, the secondaries being arranged in reversevoltage relationship one to the other, the primary having an electricalopening therein'providing two inside terminals, a gaseous dischargedevice having two terminals, a shunting socket having a pair ofcontacts, each contact being connected respectively to an insideterminal of the primary, one end terminal of the gaseous dischargedevice being engaged in said socket and bridging said contacts to renderthe primary continuous, the second terminal of the said device beingconnected to the free terminal of the second secondary winding, acondenser connected across the first secondary winding for providing avoltage in the said first secondary having a component in phase with thevoltage of the second secondary during ignition of said gaseousdischarge device.

3. Apparatus for igniting and operating a single gaseous dischargedevice from a source of A.C. voltage including a transformer having aprimary winding and additional windings, said primary winding having twoend terminals connected across said source and being in transformerrelationship with the said additional windings, said primary windingbeing electrically open between its terminals and providing two insideterminals, a shunting socket having two contacts connected respectivelyto said inside terminals, a gaseous discharge device connected at oneend to be energized by windings including at least one of saidadditional windings and having a terminal engaging in said socket andbridging said contacts whereby the primary winding is continuous onlywhen said terminal is in said socket, and whereby only a part of saidprimary winding is included in the windings connected across saidgaseous discharge device, one of said additional windings including ahigh leakage reactance secondary starting winding having reactive meansconnected in shunt therewith and having connecting means for applyingthe voltage thereof to said gaseous discharge device in addition to thevoltage of said primary part during starting of said discharge device.

4. Apparatus as described in claim 3 in which there are a pair of saidadditional windings, one being said high leakage reactance secondarystarting winding and the other comprising a second secondary winding,the secondary windings being connected end to end with one end of thepair of secondary windings connected to the terminal of said primaryWinding on the side having said part, the said one end of said gaseousdischarge device being connected to the opposite end of the pair ofsecondary windings whereby the said gaseous discharge device is acrossboth secondary windings and said part of said primary.

5. Apparatus as described in claim 4 in which the reactance which is inshunt with the high leakage reactance secondary winding comprises acondenser.

6. A system for igniting and operating a gaseous discharge device from asource of AC. voltage substantially lower than the ignition voltage ofsaid device, comprising a single gaseous discharge device, an elongateiron core having a single magnetic circuit, three windings mounted alongthe core being a primary, first secondary, and second secondary windingseach having two terminals, the primary being connected across the sourceand having a tap in the center thereof, the first secondary beingconnected between one terminal of the primary and one terminal of saidsecond secondary, but the windings being disposed upon the core with theprimary winding physi cally interposed between the other two and moreclosely coupled to the second secondary winding, said single gaseousdischarge device being connected from the second terminal of said secondsecondary winding to said tap whereby to form a first closed circuitacross both of said secondary windings and only a first portion of saidprimary winding, the instantaneous voltage sense of said secondarywindings being reversed one to the other on open circuit, the firstsecondary being physically spaced from the other windings on said coreand having a relatively large number of turns of fine wire thereon, andproviding high leakage reactance, and a capacitive reactor having oneterminal connected to the juncture between the secondaries, and theother terminal connected to a terminal of said primary Winding to form asecond closed circuit for said capacitive reactor across at least saidfirst secondary Winding but excluding the second secondary winding, thevoltage generated in the first secondary winding during starting havinga component additive to the voltage of the said secondary winding, andthe second closed circuit providing means to by-pass current around thefirst secondary winding during operation.

7. A system as claimed in claim '6 in which the tap in the primarycomprises two conductors having first ends respectively connected toseparate parts of said primary winding and second, separate endsconnected to a bridging socket and the said gaseous discharge device hasa terminal at the said end connected to said tap adapted to bridge saidtwo conductor ends when inserted in said socket whereby removal of saidgaseous discharge device terminal will open said primary winding.

8. A system as claimed in claim :6 in which the second terminal of thecapacitive reactor is connected to the terminal of the primary windingwhich is connected to said first secondary winding.

9. A system as claimed in claim 8 in which the tap in the primarycomprises two conductors having first ends respectively connected toseparate .parts of said primary winding and second, separate endsconnected to a bridging socket and said gaseous discharge device has aterminal at the said end connected to said tap adapted to bridge saidtwo conductor ends when inserted in said socket whereby removal of saidgaseous discharge device terminal will open said primary winding.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,464,643 Kulka Mar. 15, 1949 2,496,981 Boucher Feb. 7, 1950 2,558,293Feinber'g June 26-, 1 2,665,406 Carmichael Jan. 5, 1954

1. APPARATUS FOR IGNITING AND OPERATING A GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE FROM AN A.C. SOURCE OF RELATIVELY HIGH VOLTAGE WHICH COMPRISES, AN IRON CORE TRANSFORMER INCLUDING A PRIMARY WINDING HAVING TWO END TERMINALS CONNECTED ACROSS THE SOURCE, AT LEAST ONE SECONDARY WINDING MAKING CONNECTION WITH ONE END TERMINAL OF THE SAID PRIMARY WINDING, A GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE HAVING END TERMINALS AND CONNECTED TO THE TRANSFORMER FOR ENERGIZATION OF THE DEVICE, THE PRIMARY HAVING A TAP DIVIDING THE SAME INTO TWO ELECTRICALLY SPACED APART PARTS, SAID TAP COMPRISIMG TWO ELECTRICALLY SEPARATED LEADS CONNECTED, RESPECTIVELY, TO SAID LAST NAMED PARTS AND A SHUNTING SOCKET FOR SAID LEADS ADAPTED TO BE BRIDGED BY AN END TERMINAL OF SAID DISCHARGE DEVICE, AND THE GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE HAVING ONE TERMINAL CONNECTED AT THE TAP AND A SECOND TERMINAL CONNECTED TO A TERMINAL OF A SECONDARY WINDING, THE SAID SECONDARY WINDING HAVING TRANSFORMER RELATIONSHIP WITH THE ENTIRE PRIMARY INSOFAR AS VOLTAGE DEVELOPED THEREIN IS CONCERNED, BUT THE GASEOUS DISCHARGE DEVICE BEING SUBJECTED TO VOLTAGES DETERMINED ONLY BY THE VOLTAGE OF THE SAID SECONDARY WINDING AND THAT DEVELOPED IN THAT PART OF THE PRIMARY WINDING BETWEEN THE TAP AND SAID ONE END TERMINAL. 